Of Sparkles and Wine
by the ticking clock
Summary: Tessa pays Magnus a visit. They discuss Alec, immortality, and their friendship.


**Thank you BlondHairBlueEyes14 for this amazing prompt :)**

She looked exactly as he remembered.

Young, tall, with her brilliant gray eyes and long hair that curled around her shoulders, her smile, the calm seriousness of her expression. She stood in the frame of his door, wet from the rain, arms crossed over her chest, face set, but he saw her lips twitching and knew that she was about to smile.

"Are you going to let me in, Magnus?"

He smirked, and copied her position, leaning against the door frame and cocking his head. "That depends, darling Tessa."

A real grin tugged at the corners of her mouth, and she raised her hand, holding up a bottle of brilliant, blood red wine. "On?"

Magnus tipped his finger under her chin in a quick, affectionate gesture that Jem had often used with her. "You will provide the wine?"

She tilted her head to one side. "I will. What will you provide."

He snapped his fingers, and sparks exploded from his palms, flashing blue and red and green. "The Sparkles."

She laughed. "Oh Magnus Bane, do you ever change?"

Swinging an arm casually around her shoulders, he led her over to the couch, motioning for her to sit while he opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. "Do you, miss Tessa? Still a book lover?"

"Still have a weakness for blue eyes?" She countered.

Magnus sat with a flourish and handed her one of the glasses, taking a sip from his own. "You know I do."

Her gray eyes danced at him over the rim of her glass. "Alec Lightwood..."

Magnus could feel heat creeping along his cheekbones as he blushed and instantly wished he could change his appearance as easily as his companion could. Tessa, being one of his oldest and closest friends, had always known where to get to him, and how to make him reveal his most precious secrets. Secrets that he had never even told Alec. "You have seen him, then."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I have, you fool. That boy nearly gave me a heart attack." She sighed. "He looks so much like him. It is frightening."

Magnus nodded. "He is nothing like our William, though, Tess. He is like no one I have ever met."

She was watching him, studying him critically, he saw. Her eyes were scanning his expression, evaluating his emotions. "I recall you once swore that you would never be involved with Shadowhunters again."

The memory stung like the frigid chill of cold water, and Magnus shivered and looked away. Those long dark years had been terrible for both him and Tessa, and he wondered why she was bringing them up now. Most of the time it was him who mentioned their dear friend's last days together, him who comforted her.

"That was a long time ago."

"Immortality is a curse, Magnus," She said gently, and he heard the faint clink of glass as she set her wine down on the table and scooted closer to him. "But through the years, you have been drawn to these people, the demon-hunters, and if you want to know my opinion-"

"You know how I value your opinion, Tessa."

She smiled. "It has changed you for the better. I have watched you with that Lightwood boy...you are so alive when you are near him Magnus. It is so beautiful. You remind me of how incredibly alive Will was before Jem died. How he seemed to glow with emotion. You glow. You sparkle." She squeezed his hand. "Never give up on those Shadowhunters, my dear friend. You may end up with a broken heart in the end, but you will have the best few decades of your life with Alec."

Magnus laughed, turning to face her. She looked so serious, so straightforward, with her steady gray gaze and gentle smile. "When did you become so wise, darling?"

"Living forever tends to put things in perspective."

"That it does." He brushed his thumb lightly over her cheek. "Well, this has been no light conversation, miss Grey."

She cocked her head, grinning at him. "Not every conversation has to be light, my friend."

"No...but do you not remember I said that if you provided the wine, I would provide the sparkles?"

"I do."

Magnus led her to the window and they looked out over New York, standing in silence, watching the rain fall. It was odd, standing here with this girl he had known for over a hundred years, but it was peaceful. He felt locked in this one quiet moment with one of his oldest friends, and knew that this evening would always be a strong memory for him.

Tessa and him had seen horrors together. They had faced demons and armies and the wild powers of emotion and attraction. They had faced the world...but life was kind enough to grant them simple, happy moments as well, and Magnus seized every opportunity to cherish one.

He snapped his fingers and with a hiss of magic and sparks, fireworks exploded over New York, bursting in an array of fantastic colors, twisting through the sky in fantastic, impossible shapes.

The two warlocks stood and watched the display, and Magnus grinned, suddenly feeling you and free. "Tess." He said.

She turned to look at him.

When he saw her now, he still saw the young girl who had fallen in love with a shattered Shadowhunter, the girl who had held Jem's hand through his worst attacks, the girl whom he had taken in when she had arrived, sobbing and covered in blood on his doorstep. She was young and brilliant Tessa Gray, not this wise grown immortal.

Trying to lighten the moment,as well as shake off his own dark thoughts, Magnus snapped his fingers, conjuring forth my blue sparks.

Tessa watched them fly off his finger tips with her eyebrows raised.

"Did you enjoy the sparkles, Miss Grey?" He asked playfully. "I find they compliment the wine famously."

Her laughter was the only answer he needed, or wanted to hear.


End file.
